Area police investigate string of flashings

A string of flashing incidents in three different corners of Chittenden County have area police on high alert. Williston's seen three lewd incidents, Essex one and Thursday night, another flashing was reported in Winooski. Two more out of Washington County were reported Friday night.

University of Vermont student Abigail Thayer lives in the same area where Thursday's flasher struck. She says she's usually pretty alert as she travels from Winooski to campus, but now she'll be extra careful.

"It creeps me out a little bit to say the least," said Thayer.

Police said a man in his mid-20's, in a dark red SUV, exposed and touched himself in front of a woman on Winooski Falls Way around 7 p.m. Thursday.

"If I was one of the people that that person did this too, I would probably be pretty scarred," said Thayer.

Winooski police can't say for sure if this incident is related to several other recent ones that have happened in nearby town, but they say it's likely given the similarities.

"The description of the suspect is the same, the description of the vehicle is the same and a description of his activities are the same," said Sgt. Michael Cram of Winooski police.

On Friday, Williston police provided a composite sketch of a red SUV-driving man who exposed him to a woman on Old Stage Road on Wednesday.

Detectives also distributed security camera pictures of the man they believe snapped an inappropriate photo of a woman in the Home Depot parking lot on Monday. Minutes earlier, they suspect he exposed himself to another woman on Marshall Ave., while drving a red or maroon Jeep Cherokee.

A similar incident involving a man in a red SUV happened less than two weeks ago in Essex. These kinds of cases are especially concerning to investigators.

"They tend to expand their horizons and become more bold, pick more vulnerable victims of society to expose themselves to and we want to stop that before it gets too far," said Cram.

Officers hope piecing together details from each victim in each town will help them catch the flasher or flashers. They said a license plate number will be very helpful.

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Williston police released this composite sketch of the suspect they believe is responsible for the flashing incident on Old Stage Road on Wednesday. They can't say for sure if he is linked to the other lewd incidents.